Does anybody know where I can get a belt made for an old style
belt-driven polishing machine/collector? I’ve just acquired this
thing, the motor is mounted on the bottom and the spindle sits on top
of the cabinet- the belt connects the two- so the motor drives the
spindles- there is a clutch on the housing for the spindles to move
the band left and right to turn either the left or right spindles.
Anyway- if I can get a band for it the thing might actually work- plus
it’s a cool old-school style machine- I’d like to get it running for
my new shop. Thanks everyone! Jen

Just a thought, if you can find a leather supplier who can make you
the appropriate size drive belt they can be finished (closed) with
wire “jump rings”. Much depends on the speed of the motor and the
ratio of motor pulley to shaft pulley. Are the pulleys flat or
slightly convex or they the typical “V” groove pulley? If they are
"V:" grove check with your local auto supply company (Auto Zone, Pep
Boys, O’Rileys, Full Service etc) to find the appropriate belt.

Does anybody know where I can get a belt made for an old style
belt-driven polishing machine/collector?

Look in the Yellow Pages for “Belting”. If you live in a smaller
community, you may have to try a larger city directory.

Three questions you’re going to have to be able to answer when
getting the belt aRe:

1. Is it a flat belt or a V-belt?
2. How long must the belt be?
3. If it's a flat belt, how wide must it be?

You can determine the answer to # 1 by looking at the pulleys. Are
they flat or do they have a V in them?

The answer to # 2 can be found by wrapping a piece of string around
the pulleys in place of the belt. Pull it tight & mark the string so
one mark covers both ends. Remove the string & measure the distance
between the marks.

Most belt driven polishers have some means of adjusting the distance
between the motor & the polisher. When measuring this distance, be
sure the motor is adjusted so it’s as close to the polisher as
possible.

The answer for # 3 can be found by measuring the width of the pulley
that contacts the belt. If there’s a difference in width between the
motor & polisher motors, use the narrowest width.

If a flat belt is needed, the ends will have to have lacing installed
to permit connecting the ends together after the belt is installed.
Usually places that sell belting will install the lacing.

Another way to connect flat belts is with rivets. I’ve done it both
ways in the past, but the lacing is by far the easiest & fastest.

jen - if you can lift the machine take it to your nearest chain auto
parts store & see if they have one of those offbeat belts. next try a
sewing machine repair shop. if all else fails cut up an inner tube -
car, bicycle, river rafting, neighbor’s loud riding mower - any tube:
cut into a strip as wide as the pully/thingys it goes around, trim
length to fit snugly with ends butted, not overlapped - poke 2 strips
of 18 g wire (no it DOESN’T matter what metal!) through one end,
about 3/8" from end, butt up the other end & stick through that end &
twist off each. smooch flat with hammer. just be sure to put the
twist part on outside of pully. this should tide you over until you
find a real one. been there did that - ive

Dave: I have also had success buying an orange plastic solid tubluar
material from a local belting supply that worked on “v” belt pulleys.
You cut the material to size and melt the ends on your electric
range eye and push them together to “weld.” maybe somebody else
knows what you call the stuff.

If it’s the standard vee-shaped pulley wheels, you can find an
appropriate drive belt at any well stocked auto part place. The easy
way is to take a piece of string and tie it around the pulleys.
Remove the string, and tell them you want a belt that length. If
there is a sliding adjustment for tension, take this measurement with
the adjustment about 1/3 out from the shortest length. This leaves
adjustment length for the inevitable stretching of the belt.

Jen I would advise you to do a search under “lapidary equipment
supplies.” Many of the belt grinders were made to accept standard
size endless silicon carbide belts. I think Contempo Lapidary and
Highland Park both made a belt grinder like you have described. They
both take standard size lapidary belts. A supplier of lapidary
equipment like "Iron’s Lapidary 602-242-8393, should be able to help
you. If you call Iron’s talk to Louis. I am sure he can help. He
stocks many belts and is a life long lapidary. Now in his 80’s years
young and one of the most knowledgeable lapidary suppliers in the
USA.

Jen: I have a couple of these old polishing lathes, so I may be able
to help. I need to know what shape the belt is…you should be able
to tell by looking at the pulleys. I have an old treadle-powered
polishing lathe that uses a round leather belt, heavier than a
watchmaker’s lathe but similar in shape. I also have one with a flat
pulley that uses a 1" flat leather belt. Later models used a
standard V-belt, available from any good hardware or automotive
store.

You can measure the length by simply wrapping a rope around both
pulleys. If it’s a V-belt, you will also need to know the approximate
width of the belt (this is not critical for this application), then
visit your local supplier for a belt. If you need leather belts,
contact me.

I am not sure you are talking about drive belts or sanding belts. For
drive belts there is a company called Granger (there are others) that
carry a link belt. They come in 2 widths, so you need to know how
wide the belt was. You can measure across the pully to figure this.
You can make the length you need by adding or subtracting links.

If it is sanding belts you have to measure the length and width of
the belt and look for companies that make silicon carbide products.
You need to look in a commercial phone book or research the net. If
they don’t make belts ask them “who does”.

I have also had success buying an orange plastic solid tubluar
material from a local belting supply that worked on "v" belt
pulleys. You cut the material to size and melt the ends on your
electric range eye and push them together to "weld." maybe somebody
else knows what you call the stuff.

The stuff you’re talking about is urethane belting. It’s available in
many widths, usually round, but also available in tubular & v belt
shape. Many belt suppliers stock it in bulk.

As you indicated, the belt is turned into an endless belt by heating
each end & holding them together until they cool. This would be
particularly advantageous if a captive belt had to be replaced. A
captive belt is one that the machine (more than just a sheild) must
be partially disassembled to facilitate belt replacement.